World Famous Comics: Personal Demon (Women of the Otherworld, Book 8)
Personal Demon (Women of the Otherworld, Book 8)
By: Kelley Armstrong Publisher: Spectra Average Rating: Binding: Hardcover Label: Spectra Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 384 Publication Date: March 25, 2008 Release Date: March 25, 2008
Product Description: In her acclaimed Women of the Otherworld series, Kelley Armstrong has created a scintillating realm where the supernatural and the human coexist on the edge of darkness, romance, and eternity. Now Armstrong tells the captivating tale of a young woman with an insatiable lust for danger. She can’t help it. It’s in her blood.
Tabloid reporter Hope Adams appears to live the life of an ordinary working girl. But in addition to possessing the beauty of a Bollywood princess, Hope has other unique traits. For she is a half demon—a human fathered by a demon. And she’s inherited not only a gift for seeing the past but a hunger for chaos—along with a talent for finding it wherever she can. Naturally, when she’s chosen by a very dangerous group for a very dangerous mission, she jumps at the chance….
The head of the powerful Cortez Cabal—a family that makes the mob look like amateurs—has a little problem in Miami: a gang of wealthy, bored offspring of supernaturals is getting out of hand, and Hope is needed to infiltrate. As spells, astral projections, and pheromones soar across South Beach, Hope weaves her way through its elite hot spots, posing as upscale eye candy and reading the auras of the clientele—and potential marks.
As it turns out, Hope is a little too good at this job. And soon she’s in a little too deep, needing to be bailed out by her jewel-thief werewolf ex-boyfriend and by the Cortez heir himself. And when a killer goes to work, Hope is among many targets at the pinnacle of Cabal rule. For a woman who didn’t know what she was getting into, there’s only one way out: it’s time for Hope to unleash her most potent primal instincts—and open herself, mind and body, to everything she most fears . . . and desires.
Sexy and suspenseful, Personal Demon is a thrill ride through a world on the wild side of our own.
Not my favorite I'm a Kelley Armstrong fan, and although I have read (and in this case listened) to many of her books, she has written a few duds, and this one is one of them. My biggest issue with this story was that Hope was just boring. For someone with the moniker 'Lucifer's daughter' she's as interesting as vanilla pudding. I just did not care about her or her 'chaos sense' power, her relationship with Karl or Jazz or the demons and the cabal.
Hope shows little remorse and little humanity in her actions. The gang itself, the workings of the club and its initiaton rites were boring. I just kept losing interest.
I didn't finish this one and I doubt I ever will. Here's hoping (no pun intended) the next one will be better.
Great Series I really enjoyed this book, I have read several of the books from the Women of the Otherworld Series, but have missed reading some of them. However the ones that I have read I have enjoyed reading. In this book Hope a Half Demon goes undercover as a mole to find out all she can about a gang. She starts to fall for one of the gang members Jaz and goes out on jobs with him, but Jaz may not be all that he seems to be. Lucas and Paige appear as well as Karl. There is lots of action in this book and it is very fast paced.
Fun, but not up to Armstrong's usual standards (3.5 stars) The "Women of the Otherworld" series is one of my favourites. Armstrong's choice of a different narrator every couple of books (although each narrator is an integral part of the supernatural world, and has a connection, however slight, with the characters from the previous books) helps keep the series fresh, and her characters are well-rounded and three-dimensional. Definitely no Mary Sue types here!
In this instalment, the narrator - half of the time - is Hope, who was introduced in the previous book, "No Humans Involved." For the first time, though (as far as I can recall) Armstrong uses alternating narratives, and certainly this is the first book featuring the perspective of one of her male characters. It's an interesting change from the previous novels, but unfortunately, I didn't feel that it totally succeeded. In the past I could barely put one of the "Otherworld" novels down once I started, and have re-read the early ones at least once. This instalment was a real struggle - I actually put it aside halfway through for several weeks, before eventually finishing it - and I can't see myself rereading it.
My main problem was I couldn't really care about Hope as a character. Because she first appears in the preceding book, and I really did not get a firm sense of her, I did not have the same sentimental connection to her as to some of the previous narrators. I would have been more drawn in, I think, had the story centred on characters who have made more than one previous appearance - for example Elena, Savannah, or even Cassandra the vampire. The relationship with Karl Marsten also didn't quite ring true, in contrast to the other pairings in this series. What did partly succeed though was Lucas as a narrator, which gives me high hopes for the forthcoming "Men of the Otherworld."
As always, Armstrong writes vividly and evocatively, and I have no complaints about the plot and narrative structure. It was the choice of protagonist for this book that made it hard for me to get into it. Maybe there's something in a previous reviewer's theory that it was rushed to meet a deadline.
Finally, for those who are encountering the "Women of the Otherworld" series for the first time: while each book theoretically can stand alone in terms of plot, the series will not make complete sense unless read in chronological order, and the reader runs the risk of missing out on some of the more subtle developments of plot and character that connect the novels in the series.
So relieved this book was good! I actually liked this book more than the last three in the Women of the Otherworld series. I was hesitant to even order this book as the last three have had a flat feeling about them. No Humans Involved was difficult to get through for me. Therefore, I was extremely surprised when this book really interested me. Hope Adams, half human, half demon infiltrates a supernatural gang upon the request of Benecio Cortez, leader of the Cortez Cabal. Lucas Cortez who has been featured in Dime Store Magic and Industrial Magic has his own point of view chapters. Maybe Kelly is gearing us up for Men of the Otherworld. If so, I am looking forward to this new series. I liked Hope's character. She was learning to deal with her demon's need for Chaos. She was afraid of it, but kept trying to learn to control it. I loved Karl. He wasn't particularly nice in Bitten, but I really liked his character in this book. He was very sweet to Hope. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It had more action and a lot less of the hunting for clues type of book that the past few have contained.
Such a let down I own all of her books - in hardback! I lover her characters even Hope, but this was such a mishmash. Confusing characters and a whiny annoying heroine. Borrow this one!
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Trevor
